Circle of Life
"Circle of Life" is the opening song of Disney's 1994 animated film, The Lion King, composed by Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. It was performed by Carmen Twillie (female vocals) and Lebo M (opening Zulu vocals) as the film's opening song. Elton John also sang a pop version of it with the London Community Gospel Choir, which was included in the film's soundtrack and made into a music video. As Mufasa himself explains later in the movie, the "Circle of Life" that the song refers to is the delicate balance of nature (predators eat prey, predators become grass when they die, prey eat the grass). Scar's reign disrupted the Circle of Life, which was restored when he died. Likewise, a plot point in The Lion Guard is for Kion to learn how to properly protect the Circle of Life. Plot The song takes place at the very beginning of the film, the dawn of Simba's presentation. As the song progresses, various animal herds travel through the Pride Lands to gather at Pride Rock. There, Rafiki meets up with the current King of the Pride Lands, Mufasa and his mate Sarabi. After blessing their newborn cub, Simba, Rafiki lifts him up high for all the animals to see, and the animals bow before their future king. When Scar killed Mufasa and let the hyenas run rampant on Pride Lands, the Circle of Life was broken with thrown balance and Rafiki does not recognizes him as king. As a result with the Circle of Life broken, the Pride Lands become decimated with droughts, famine, and animal skeletons lying all around with Scar as the king. The song reprises at the end of the film after Simba has taken the throne, the death of Scar, and avenging Mufasa, restoring the Circle of Life to its natural order. Rafiki presents Simba and Nala's newborn cub, Kiara, recalling the opening. In The Lion King 1½, the song is used again. In The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, the Circle of Life song does not play throughout the entire movie, but the concept is still pivotal to the story. The Circle of Life is at incomplete state because Simba's pride and the Outsiders were separated due to Simba's prejudice against Scar's followers and Zira's hatred for Simba even though they're supposed to be one and the same. To unite the two prides, Mufasa has Rafiki unite Kiara and Kovu together. However, Simba breaks the Circle of Life when he exiles Kovu believing he was involved in the ambush set by Zira, forbidding Kiara from getting near him which was Mufasa's paw prints that he himself must follow. After Kiara and Kovu manage to unite the prides, the Circle of Life is restored to its former glory and peace was brought back to Pride Rock once again. In Disneytoon's 2004 direct-to-video film The Lion King 1½, Timon and Pumbaa are watching this musical number in a dark theater when Timon suddenly uses a remote control to fast forward to where they appear in the film. Pumbaa argues that it shouldn't go out of order and attempts to rewind it back to the beginning. They start fighting over control of it until they agree that it should tell their side of the story. Throughout the rest of it, it is occasionally interrupted to have them comment on whatever is happening. Lyrics |-|Film version= Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama eyi yewu Ingonyama Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhhmm ingonyama Hayibaba (Ingonyama) Siyonqoba (Ingonyama) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (repeats throughout verse) From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Se to kwa) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Asana) It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life! |-|Reprise version= (Busa verse) Busa le lizwe bo Busa le lizwe bo Busa le lizwe bo Lethu busa ngoxolo Is'khathi sifikile (Sifikile) Is'khathi busa iyo (Ndabezitha bo) Is'khathi sifikile (Maye babo) Busa lomhlaba Is'khathi sifikile (Ihei) Is'khathi sifikile (Sifikile) Busa Simba Busa Simba Ubuse ngo xolo (Ngo xolo) Ubuse ngo thando (Ngo thando) Ubuse ngo xolo (Siyacela baba) Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo xolo... (Circle of Life verse) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Enamabala wa) Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life! Circle of... Life! |-|Broadway version= Rafiki: Nants ingonyama, bagathithi baba! Choir: Stiti umm, ingonyama Ingonyama negwengabo! Antelope: Maye babo Haa, ingonnyama baba! Rafiki: Nants ingonyama, bagathithi baba, hyaa! Choir: Stiti umm, ingonyama Ingonyama negwengabo! Antelope: Hao, kusani bo Pheki agalela (chou!) Rafiki: Nants ingonyama, bagathithi baba, hyaa! Choir: Siti umm, ingonyama Rafiki: Helele Choir: Ingonyama Rafiki: Oh, sizonqoba baba helele Choir: Ingonyama Rafiki: Hayyo! Sizonqo baba Choir: Ingonyama nengwenamabala Antelope: Ingonyama! Enamabala (Whoa, ingonyama baba, enamabala) (Ingonyama negwenamabala continues) Rafiki: From the day we arrive on this planet And blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done Hmm, there's far too much, to take in here More to find, than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small, on the endless round It's the Circle of Life (Kalaliko bheki akale!) And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life (Ingonyama negwenamabala) (improvisation by antelope) It's the Circle of Life (Kalaliko bheki akale!) And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life! (loud drumbeat) |-|Broadway reprise= (Busa verse) Busa le lizwe bo Busa le lizwe bo Busa le lizwe bo Lethu busa ngoxolo Is'khathi sifikile (Sifikile) Is'khathi busa iyo (Ndabezitha bo) Is'khathi sifikile (Maye babo) Busa lomhlaba Is'khathi sifikile (Sifikile) Is'khathi sifikile Busa Simba Busa Simba Hem na iyo Hem na iyo Hem na nkosi bo Busa Simba iyo (Busa Simba iyo) Oh busa Simba iyo Oh busa nkosi bo Oh busa Simba iyo Busa Simba iyo Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo xolo Busa Simba, Busa Simba Ubuse ngo xolo Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo xolo Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo xolo... (Circle of Life verse) Ingonyama nengw' enamabala Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (Enamabala wa) (part of verse used in recent performances) It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love... Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life! Circle of... Life! (loud drumbeat) |-|Elton John's version= Umm hmm Oh ho Oh ho Oh ho Oh ho From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking step into the sun There's more to be seen than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done Some say, eat or be eaten Some say, live and let live But, all are agreed as they join the stampede You should never take more than you give In the circle of life It's the wheel of fortune It's the leap by faith It's the band of hope Till, we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle The circle of life Some of us fall by the wayside And some of us soar to the stars And some of us sail through our troubles And some have to live with the scars There's far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rollin' high Through the sapphire sky Keeps the great and small on the endless round In the circle of life It's the wheel of fortune It's the leap by faith It's the band of hope Till, we find our place On the path unwinding, yea In the circle The circle of life (chorus repeats) On the path unwinding, yea In the circle The circle of life |-|Rivers of Light: We Are One Finale= (Busa verse) Busa le lizwe bo Busa le lizwe bo Busa lomhlaba wethu Busa ngo xolo Busa ngo thando Busa ngo thando Busa ngo thando Busa ngo xolo Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo thando Ubuse ngo thando Busa Simba, Busa Simba Vusa amakhosi bo Vusa amdlozi bo Vusa amakhosi bo Busa Simba iyo (Busa Simba iyo) Vusa amakhosi bo Vusa amdlozi bo Vusa amakhosi bo Busa Simba Busa Simba Busa Simba iyo (Circle of Life verse) It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle, the Circle of Life We are one Videos The Lion King - Circle Of Life Elton John Version Circle of Life Nants' Ingonyama (From "The Lion King" Audio Only) Gallery Trivia *"Circle of Life" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1994 along with two other songs from the film, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Hakuna Matata", though the former won the award. *The first part of the song is in Zulu. **'Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba', translates roughly to: Here are the lion cubs, Father. **'Sithi uhm ingonyama', translates roughly to: We say it's a lion. **'Ingonyama', translates roughly to: The lion. **'Hayi baba (Ingonyama)', translates roughly to: Hey father (The lion). **'Siyo nqoba (Ingonyama)', translates roughly to: We Will Win (The lion). **'Ingonyama nengw' enamabala', translates roughly to: Lions and tigers. **'Se to kwa', translates roughly to: Don't go to. **'Asana', translates roughly to: No. *The song has become the theme of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World. At Epcot, it was featured in the former attraction Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable starring characters from the film. *In one of Disney's many self-references, it also appeared as a false beginning of Chicken Little when Buck was trying to open the movie. *The Season 3 Phineas and Ferb song "On the Savannah" in the first part of the two-part episode "Where's Perry?" has a similar setting and is also done with African singers. *The choral element in between the "it's the circle of life" and "and it moves us all" is an approximate "kalaliko bheki akale". *There is a rare work-in-progress version with an alternate arrangement that appeared in both the teaser trailer included in The Fox and the Hound VHS and the original theatrical trailer that people would not find anywhere else. *At the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Barack Obama jokingly claimed he was going to show his long-form birth video, spoofing an earlier controversy about refusing to show his long-form birth certificate to prove he was, in fact, born in the United States. The opening chant was played from the film, and Simba was seen being lifted to the skies. The song was used to poke fun at Obama's Kenyan heritage. *The song was re-recorded in 2003 by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of actors and actresses who have appeared in Disney Channel television series and original movies. The line-up was significantly different when their next re-recording, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", was released two years later. *The instrumental version of the song, with the Zulu vocals still included, is heard when the player uses The King's Domain sky in the Disney INFINITY games. *The scene of Rafiki lifting Simba can be briefly seen in an episode of Gargoyles when Hudson is flicking through channels. *When baby Simba is introduced, he is heard purring; lions don't purr in real life. *In the 2019 remake of the film, the opening shot of the iconic sunrise scene is unique as it is the only non-animated shot in the entire film. Everything else seen in the entire film is entirely animated in CGI. See also *''The Lion King'' *''The Lion King 1½'' *"On the Savannah" Category:The Lion King songs Category:Opening songs Category:Academy Award nominated songs Category:Songs in video games Category:Closing songs Category:Fantasmic songs Category:Mickey's Soundsational Parade Category:Reprise Category:Disney Dreams! Category:Celebrate the Magic Category:Songs in Disney Sing Along Songs videos Category:Golden Globe Award nominated songs Category:Grammy Award nominated songs Category:Disney INFINITY Category:Songs with alternate lyrics Category:Featured songs